Denver wedding, portrait, and commercial photographer

How many pictures is too many?

A lot of brides, when comparing photographers will say to me, “This other photographer says that they will take 2 to 3 thousand pictures at my wedding. How many will you take?”

My short answer – Not even half of that. And here is why:

For the average wedding, clients will receive about 600-800 proofs. I really try to stay closer to 600. This is a good number that covers the entire day from many angles, yet not overwhelming when you have to pick out which images to print.

When you get 2000-3000 images, you will have a lot of pictures that almost look identical. For example, if a photographer shot a wedding for 8 hours, and offered you 3000 images, he would be taking a picture every 10 seconds. The only way to achieve this is to hold the shutter down and take about 5 pictures for every shot. Imagine trying to pick 100 images for an album when you have this many images that almost look identical.

Also, it can be a bit of a nuisance to hear the camera shooting this way at the ceremony. A pro-style camera, are quiet, but not silent as they are built a little more rugged to withstand harsher conditions.

One thing I am quite proud of is that I learned photography on film. In the film days, one would never shoot like this because it would be far too expensive to shoot a wedding. When I was shooting medium-format, it was about a dollar every time I pulled the trigger. I also did not have the luxury of seeing what I shot instantly. I had to trust that when the film was developed, I had captured what I intended. This taught me how to anticipate the moment a little bit better. I may not take as many shots, but I have the confidence that I will get the “right” shot.

My background also comes from shooting live sports. This also has helped me anticipate and pull the shutter before its too late.

600-800 images shows the entire day from getting ready to the last dance and will help you, the customer, when it comes time to pick images for an album or for print. To view an entire wedding from start to finish, just email me, travis@travisjphoto.com, and see what you can expect from full day coverage at your wedding.